Gut microbe may play a role in the development of breast cancers
A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Breast tissue cells exposed to this toxin retain a long-term memory, increasing the risk for disease.
In a series of laboratory experiments, researchers discovered that when enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) was introduced to the guts or breast ducts of mice, it always induced growth and metastatic progression of tumor cells. A description of the work is published in the January 6 issue of the journal
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The results of a large, retrospective study of patients who received a form of immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) revealed that patients may get more than one immune-related side effect, and identified a correlation between these multisystem immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and improved patient survival. In fact, patients who developed two irAEs did better, in terms of delaying the time to cancer progression and overall survival, than those who developed only one irAE. According to the researchers, this new information will be helpful in discussing with patients the spectrum of immune side effects that may occur from immunotherapy and the implications for their survival.